Double Bass Yamahiko Double Bass Pickup

[Ric Vice]

As much as I'd love to try a Yamahiko, the timbre and volume I get
with a Ehrlund / Remic Green is perfectly suited to my playing and
the ensemble's I perform in. Given that I do not want to change out
the Ebony adjusters on my bridge I haven't persued the matter.
I do feel that the Yamahiko is one of the finest DB pickups available.

 

[Grant the Canuk]

I just ordered a Yamahiko. I hope it doesn't take 2 months to get here.

 

[SamuelHarris]

It came in a very timely fashion for me, the only hangup was the USPS and it was Mr.Yamaya himself in Japan that was able to figure out what they had done!

 

[flatback]

super timely for me too. Mr Yamaya takes his business and his customers very seriously. Just the build quality of this pickup is worth its price (it absolutely dusts the FC, makes the FC seems like a cheap knock off of a real product.) With two of them (at least on my bass) there are a lot of tonal and more importantly dimensional sonic possibilitites....

 

[Ric Vice]

.....Just the build quality of this pickup is worth its price (it absolutely dusts the FC, makes the FC seems like a cheap knock off of a real product.)

Because, IMHO the Full Circle is a “re-imagining” of that pickup, to build a less expensive version and patten it in the U.S. . Just my take however.

 

[Grant the Canuk]

My Yamahiko single element pickup arrived today and my first impressions are good. I was worried that the shipping would take a long time, but it was here within 4 business days! I removed my FC and the Yamahiko dropped in very easily. The unthreaded end was very tight and I had to add some pressure to get it in the foot, but once in everything looks very sturdy and sounds great. I'm getting a much hotter signal than the FC ( gain at 9 o'clock where the FC was at noon or 1 o'clock) and on my Doubler II it is very clear and detailed. I have boosted the lows and cut the mids and highs to get a good tone. I haven't had the chance to try it with a pre or blend it with a mic yet, nor have I had the volume up loud. So far I'd say its worth the extra $ to get this if you're planning to get a FC if for no other reason than that the Y is obviously more rugged than the FC.

 

[lurk]

Did you get the 1/4" version? Fits ok in place of your adjuster without re-tapping? Single element? Threads up or down?

 

[SamuelHarris]

My Yamahiko single element pickup arrived today and my first impressions are good. I was worried that the shipping would take a long time, but it was here within 4 business days! I removed my FC and the Yamahiko dropped in very easily. The unthreaded end was very tight and I had to add some pressure to get it in the foot, but once in everything looks very sturdy and sounds great. I'm getting a much hotter signal than the FC ( gain at 9 o'clock where the FC was at noon or 1 o'clock) and on my Doubler II it is very clear and detailed. I have boosted the lows and cut the mids and highs to get a good tone. I haven't had the chance to try it with a pre or blend it with a mic yet, nor have I had the volume up loud. So far I'd say its worth the extra $ to get this if you're planning to get a FC if for no other reason than that the Y is obviously more rugged than the FC.

Alright another one!

The Yamahiko should replace the realist and full circle as the standard pickup of choice IMHO

 

[Grant the Canuk]

Did you get the 1/4" version? Fits ok in place of your adjuster without re-tapping? Single element? Threads up or down?

Yes, I got the 1/4" NC20 version single element. Installed threads up. No re-tapping.

This pickup is very hot. I have to realy back off the gain to keep it from clipping. I have a FDeck pre on the way, I'm hoping that the higher impedance smooths that out.

 

[Ric Vice]

Alright another one!

The Yamahiko should replace the realist and full circle as the standard pickup of choice IMHO

While I’ll agree with you, the Yamahiko isn’t an option if you use Ebony adjusters. On my bass they just sound better.

P.S. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility
that someone will figure out how to put piezos in Ebony.

 

[lurk]

Yes, I got the 1/4" NC20 version single element. Installed threads up. No re-tapping.

This pickup is very hot. I have to realy back off the gain to keep it from clipping. I have a FDeck pre on the way, I'm hoping that the higher impedance smooths that out.

I had one of the very first Realists, and they were very hot too. In my opinion they sounded much better - punchier with more high end - than the later versions. They changed them cause so many people complained about the hotness. I was using a GK amp that had a switch that cut the input and it worked great.

 

[Ben Rolston]

Yes, I got the 1/4" NC20 version single element. Installed threads up. No re-tapping.

This pickup is very hot. I have to realy back off the gain to keep it from clipping. I have a FDeck pre on the way, I'm hoping that the higher impedance smooths that out.

I'd agree that the pickup is hot-- in fact on my bass I actually can't set the gain low enough on Felix to insure no clipping I talked the Grace and they said they could modify it for a fee. On the medium impedence setting it's not a problem, just on the high, so I'll be curious to hear about your fdeck experiments.

 

[flatback]

hey Ben,
You prolly already know this but make sure that your Yamahiko wheel is not screwed down tight on the bridge. It needs a little space (just so they are not touching) If they are touching you can get a kind of hyper sound that is not the sound you want. THe pickup is hot anyway but not THAT hot. I dont have any problems with either one or two on two different basses. Just sumpthin to make sure of...

 

[Grant the Canuk]

I'd agree that the pickup is hot-- in fact on my bass I actually can't set the gain low enough on Felix to insure no clipping I talked the Grace and they said they could modify it for a fee. On the medium impedence setting it's not a problem, just on the high, so I'll be curious to hear about your fdeck experiments.

Is your Yamahiko installed threads up or down?

 

[Ric Vice]

I had one of the very first Realists, and they were very hot too. In my opinion they sounded much better - punchier with more high end - than the later versions. They changed them cause so many people complained about the hotness.

Agreed, there was one other reason.
The earlier Realist had two elements
that could put groves in the top.

 

[MarkA]

Yes Chris
THat is why I want some device with a variable imp. I have a Felix with 1 10 and 20 and an amp with 1 and 10. The amp with 10 sounds thicker then the preamp with 20.
But I am really into this new red box which seems to make the whole point moot by massaging the signal in a myriad ways.

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Now if this only was a preamp, so it could control the volume/drive a power amp/powered speaker.

It looks like the Mark V version might be able to fill the preamp function. Says it has a "+4 dB line level output for direct recording" which I would think would drive a powered speaker or power amp as well, but I don't know exactly what this translates to in terms of voltage in this case or whether it would be enough to drive everything out there optimally or not. Can anyone comment on this?

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Consider the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] to a Tri-Logic III Bass Preamp

Steve Millhouse demos the previous Tri-Logic II
Power the PZ-DI with a Denecke PS-1A, or phantom power from FOH.

Power amp to taste.

This is another interesting option, though the impedance is selectable between three options (220 KOhm, 1 MOhm, and 10 MOhm) and not continuously variable as with the two JVDIs.

 

[lurk]

Agreed, there was one other reason.
The earlier Realist had two elements
that could put groves in the top.

Crap. I do have marks in the top under the bridge foot and that bugged me and is a reason I abandoned the Realist. So the newer models didn't do that?

 

[flatback]

I know it is because I grew up in the 70's and have that sound indelibly connected to early jazz listening (which coincided with Jazz-Rock and hyper virtuosic playing) but sometimes I just really like to make the Yamahiko sound bad. Not full on awful but, pretty direct piezo. With this one band we wind everything up to a frenetic frenzy on nearly every tune (and the people love it) and when it just cuts thru it reminds me of that live Dave Liebman tribute to Coltrane concert () where Eddie is just cutting thru this wall of sound and it sounds electric as hell but just balls out and good. Feels good to play like that and be heard like that and mostly to drive a runaway band like that.
I wrote that whole thing and then realized it probably IS the Yamahiko on that concert.
It can sure sound way more acoustic too.

...man Liebman winds it up to dizzying heights and he and Birech are so in sync, and so much interesting melodic material that you think how can you follow that. and Then Wayne steps up to the mic. *$&^ man, Wayne is just so deep.

 

[Ric Vice]

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...man Liebman winds it up to dizzying heights and he and Birech are so in sync, and so much interesting melodic material that you think how can you follow that. and Then Wayne steps up to the mic. *$&^ man, Wayne is just so deep.

I had the opportunity to do a concert with David at Webster University. It was an adventure. He’s a force of nature. We did a version of Lonley Woman that lasted over 10 minutes. When David started the tune he said “no worries, you’ll hear it”.

 

[Ben Rolston]

hey Ben,
You prolly already know this but make sure that your Yamahiko wheel is not screwed down tight on the bridge. It needs a little space (just so they are not touching) If they are touching you can get a kind of hyper sound that is not the sound you want. THe pickup is hot anyway but not THAT hot. I dont have any problems with either one or two on two different basses. Just sumpthin to make sure of...

Yup not touching the other side, though I didn't specifically know about this. Mine is installed threads up.